Second Chances
by CaptainMalcolmReynolds
Summary: Seeing the worst possible outcomes and being the only one to remember the horrors seen in abandoned timelines is really hitting Viperion hard. He's lost friends (and got them back), and has more secrets than he's comfortable with. Is being Viperion and fighting alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir really worth it?
1. Giving Up

_Author's note: This is meant to showcase some of the things that Viperion has seen that nobody else has. I do not own any rights to the show, but am totally claiming dibs on the akumas and abandoned timelines that I write about! This story isn't about romance, but about friendship. _

* * *

In a move reminiscent of something he had done with Ladybug hundreds of times, Chat Noir watched Tom Dupain curl his body around that of his wife, and hurl themselves out of the window, just as the akuma threw a fireball that blew out the entire lower level. The upper stories teetered momentarily before collapsing down into the bakery.

The five heroes stood in the street watching helplessly, having arrived too late to do anything other than observe the fireball ripping through their favorite boulangerie. Carapace was the first to react, rushing to the Dupain-Chengs' side, checking them for injuries, attempting to get the civilians out of the destruction zone, and to the waiting first responders.

"Marinette!" The strangled cry that echoed around the mostly empty street was grief stricken and desperate, the audible representation of someone's world shattering. "Seco-" Viperion started to use his power, but Ladybug slapped a hand across his mouth, silencing him before he could continue.

"It wouldn't help. You only activated it as we rounded the corner, and we couldn't get here in time. Besides, you don't even know if she was in there, and there is no guarantee we could get her out. I will put everything back to normal in the end. Please." She looked away from the heartbreak she saw in his eyes, but at his nod, removed her hand from his mouth and squeezed his bicep comfortingly. "Marinette will be unharmed, I promise."

Viperion had been joining them more often, once giving Chloe the Bee Miraculous and allowing her to become Queen Bee put her in danger as Hawkmoth was watching her closely. The fact that Viperion could reset time, and give them a second chance, when they would otherwise have been defeated, was incredibly valuable.

Chat realized that Luka must truly care about Marinette. He had been present when the Snake Miraculous had been entrusted into the young man's care, but that thought was pushed back into the recesses of his mind as one of the most destructive akumas he had ever witnessed threw a fireball into another building, adjacent to his school.

Carapace was jogging back after seeing the Dupain-Chengs to safety. Chat glanced over at him then at Rena Rouge, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since they turned onto the street. Ladybug was calming the normally implacable Viperion, muttering something too low for even his exceptional hearing to pick up. He wondered if they all had some connection to Marinette, and idly wondered if Ladybug shouldn't give his designer friend another chance with a miraculous one day. It seemed like everyone he knew was getting a miraculous, and he felt Marinette deserved one too. Shaking his blonde mane, he pushed that thought down, too, turning to face the problem at hand.

When he reached them, Carapace reported, "The bakers have a daughter who had arrived home from school about half an hour ago. She had been planning on going to the park to sketch. They were not sure as to whether she had left or not, because they were busy, and didn't notice her leave, but that isn't unusual."

Viperion became agitated again, but a few words from Ladybug calmed him down. Looking around at the group, Chat noted that everyone appeared a little more on edge than normal, with the exception of Ladybug herself, who only appeared more determined than ever.

The miraculous team followed the akuma down the street, taking to the rooftops. They huddled together, watching as the akuma roared it's way down the boulevard. Rena's sharp eyes spotted a broken locket wrapped around one of the akuma's wrists, the ends clenched tightly in a fist.

The team fought viciously and silently, even Chat failed to make any puns, only Ladybug was her normal, calm self, fighting deliberately and unhurriedly. Almost before the Miraculous Ladybugs had disappeared, four of the heroes were sprinting back towards the bakery. Knowing that she could never beat them back to her room undetected, Ladybug instead hustled to where her parents were, transforming in a nearby alley and rushing over to them, claiming she'd been in the park.

Together, the three Dupain-Chengs walked back to the bakery where four frantic superheroes were bursting out of the front door. Waving to them, Tom Dupain wrapped one arm around his daughter, the other around his wife, and called out to the Miraculous holders, offering them refreshments. Chat opened his mouth to respond, but various beeps cut him off. Marinette patted her father's arm. "Maybe we should grab them some bags to go."

Swiftly, they moved into the bakery, throwing a handful of treats into to-go boxes, Marinette making sure that Chat Noir was the recipient of several cheese danishes. They watched as the heroes of Paris headed out and split up, nobody finding the need to comment on the fact that Ladybug had not stuck around, having been the first one to use her superpower.

Claiming homework, Marinette snagged a cookie and headed up to her room, passing the cookie to Tikki, once she was out of sight of her parents. Passing through her room and up to her rooftop patio, she checked with the little red kwami to make sure she'd digested her snack, then called for her transformation. Leaping over the railing and swinging over to the school where Nino and Alya were waiting for her underneath the stairs, she thanked the pair for their help and stashed their miraculous in her yoyo. With a smile and a wave she left them to retrieve the last piece of jewelry.

Swinging over to the Seine where the Couffaine's houseboat was moored, she caught up with Luka in his room, slipping in through the same porthole she had supposedly escaped from as Marinette on the first day they had met. He nodded at her in greeting, looking up from his guitar and held out the miraculous, without maintaining eye contact.

Ladybug put her hand on Luka's arm, encouraging him to look at her. "What's wrong, Luka?"

Luka shook his head, and looked away, but not quickly enough for Ladybug to miss the single tear that trickled down his cheek. "What's the matter? Can I help?"

Sighing deeply, Luka shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ladybug. I don't think that I am cut out to be Viperion. All the memories that I have that nobody else does. It is too much, sometimes. I've lived so many of the worst case scenarios. Nobody else knows, or has seen how bad it has become. I'm not sure I can deal with this knowledge on my own."

Eyes shimmering, Ladybug covered his larger hands with her gloved ones. "I am so sorry. I never even thought about how you would feel about that. Please, tell me what is weighing on your heart. I should not have left you to carry this burden alone."

"Thank You, Ladybug. I'm not sure that I can continue, but it would help to talk about it. Can we talk now, or…"

Silently, she asked for permission, and receiving it, she settled down on the bed next to him, leaning back against the wall, close enough to be comforting, but far enough for him to have his own space. She smiled at him. "Whenever you are ready, Luka, I am here for you."

She patted his leg, and he caught her hand in his, turning it over, studying the spots, just thinking. After a few minutes, Luka took a deep breath and began to talk about all the things he'd seen.


	2. Close Calls

_I still don't own _Miraculous_ nor do I own anything _Pokemon_. I will say that I wasted entirely too much time looking up Pokemon pickup lines. Finding clean ones was much harder than I expected..._

* * *

The battle against Team Rocket wasn't going well. A brother and sister had been akumatized together over frustration they had felt while playing Pokemon GO. Everyone else who had battled in their raid had got a shiny Regirock, but theirs had been a regular one.

They were capturing anyone in their way inside Pokeballs, and now the street was littered with red and white balls, rolling along in the gutters of the street, gently bouncing off of each other.

Viperion had used second chance twice already as many of his teammates were captured inside red and white pokeballs. He waited to reset time, however, until Ladybug was captured.

The first time had been Chat's fault. Leaning on his baton, Chat had been throwing out really bad pickup lines, one so awful that Ladybug had turned her head to glare at him. "Pokeballs are red, Great balls are blue, if you were a Pokemon, I'd choose you." Unfortunately, Team Rocket took that opportunity to lob an ultra ball their way, and Ladybug was sucked inside, and Viperion quickly reset the battlefield.

The second time was sheer bad luck. Chat had taken to calling Ladybug "Mi-Ledyba", but otherwise the flirting had been toned down. Ladybug was able to concentrate, and was flipping out of the way of the ball that Jesse threw, but ended up right in the path of a ball thrown by James. Glancing at his wrist, Viperion noted that he had mere seconds before his timer ran out and scrambled to reset his timer, the echo of his cry of 'Second Chance' completely dying away, leaving him unsure if he'd made it in time. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when reality seemed to shimmer and all of them appeared together at the point he had activated his powers. He gasped in a lungful of air and slumped against the wall in relief.

Ladybug placed a hand on his arm, and he looked up, surprised. Softly, she said, "I'll come by tonight. For now, though, what do we need to know?"

As Viperion laid out what needed to happen, Chat Noir tried his best to push his jealous thoughts to the side. He would confront Ladybug about it another time, but for now, he was keeping an eye on the snake. He smiled brightly at Ladybug. "Are you a Pikachu? Because you are shockingly cute." Ladybug shook her head, rolling her eyes and called for her Lucky Charm, completely ignoring the black cat's comments.

Fortunately, between Viperion's insight and Ladybug's Lucky Charm, a giant Snorlax pillow, Chat was able to snatch and cataclysm Team Rocket's phone, allowing the dark butterfly to escape. Ladybug purified the akuma, and the team shared a 5 way fistbump, with several members dashing off before their transformation dropped.

Ladybug turned to dash away, but Chat grabbed her wrist, asking for her to wait a few moments. Her rapidly beeping earrings prevented her from staying, but she promised him to talk with him as soon as she could. .

Thirty minutes later, after stopping at Nino's to collect his and Alya's miraculous, she was on the Couffaine's houseboat, sitting cross legged on Luka's bed. Stowing his miraculous in her yo-yo with the others, she looked at the young man as he sat beside her, eyes closed, head tipped back resting on the wall behind him. The only outward sign of his agitation were his hands; clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white. She put her hand on his knee and gently asked, "What happened, Luka?"

Luka blew out a long breath, making his blue-tipped bangs dance in the sudden gust of air. "We almost lost you. I almost ran out of time, and you would have been gone." He blew out another, slower, steadying breath of air. "We had discovered that Team Rocket's akuma was in the device held in Jesse's left hand. Time was running low for all of us. Carapace had already used Shelter, protecting a group of civilians he was trying to evacuate from a barrage of pokeballs. Chat had been caught in a pokeball as he was discovered trying to sneak up behind the akuma." Luka chuckled. "Actually, he gave himself away when a kid stepped out to look closer at Rena's illusion, and Chat protected him from getting captured."

"You dove to throw Rena Rouge out of the way, avoiding one ball, but then getting caught yourself. I had less than ten seconds left to reset when the akuma tossed the ball. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to make it in time. I did, obviously, but if I hadn't…"

Luka shuddered as he trailed off. Ladybug touched his knee, causing his eyes to snap up to hers. "You were doing your best. You always do. There may come a day when you cannot save us all. I want you to remember that it is not your fault. The only ones to blame are Hawkmoth and Mayura. Not the akumatized person. Not the heroes trying to save them. Remember, if you think that you have failed, that means I failed first. Nothing bad that has happened, or will happen… NONE of it… is on you."

As Ladybug spoke, Luka dropped his gaze down to her hand on his leg. He covered it with his much larger one, marvelling at how something so tiny was trusted by so many with the fate of Paris itself. He made a vow to himself then that he would always keep her safe, this girl who has been given responsibility beyond her years, yet takes the time to listen to a friend. Who allows him to pour out his anxiety, and encourages him to become the best version of himself.

Out loud, he merely thanked Ladybug for taking the time to listen to him, for lightening the burden that is upon his shoulders, even if it added to the burden on hers.

Ladybug stood, and then considered Luka for a moment, taking a swift step and throwing her arms around him. The hug was over almost before it had begun, but Luka found himself humming a little melody after Ladybug had slipped out into the evening. It was a familiar melody, one that he often caught himself playing when he was feeling at peace. Marinette's melody.


	3. Fatality on the Midway

_Well, Season 3 has come to an end, and I STILL haven't been given the rights to Miraculous. *sigh* Maybe they're holding out for my birthday... _

* * *

"...and then if we...Viperion, what's wrong? What did we miss?" Ladybug broke off explaining her plan as Viperion slumped against the door to the roof they were standing on, vigorously scrubbing his hands over his face and through his hair.

"You can't go around the building like that. He'll see you coming." He reached over and touched Rena Rouge's shoulder. "He can see through illusions. You need to be careful. Stay back and direct, but don't use your Mirage. He is violent, too. He shoots pencils from the bag in his hand, and they act like arrows. I think the akuma is in his pocket protector on his chest which might make accessing it difficult."

The whole time Viperion was speaking, he kept his hand resting lightly on Rena's shoulder. Carapace kept glancing at the point of contact but didn't comment. Ladybug, too, noticed Viperion's need to check that Rena was still there. Combined with the look she'd seen on his face right before he'd regained his composure, she thought that Rena must have been seriously injured before he'd used second chance.

Revising their point of entry into the fray, Ladybug directed the group to split into several alleys across the way. Rena was positioned on the roof as their eyes, and could see the other four as they peeked out, covering separate directions.

The five heroes put in their communicators, and prepared to fight. Once Ladybug called for her Lucky Charm, if was a fairly straightforward assault, with Ladybug using her dartboard to draw the akuma's fire, while Chat snuck close enough to cataclysm the pocket protector.

Even after she had called for the Miraculous Ladybugs to heal the city, she noticed Viperion kept looking at Rena Rouge, reaching towards her and yanking back his arm. Once they had shared their traditional fistbump, Viperion's hand followed the warmth of Rena's, before Ladybug covered his fist with her small hand. "You want me to come by?" A quick nod from Viperion and Ladybug smiled up at him. "I'll collect the other miraculous and come by. See you soon." She squeezed his still clenched fist, and stepped away.

She turned to follow Rena and Carapace, but felt a hand on her arm. She turned back, expecting to see Viperion, but instead found herself staring into the grass green eyes of her partner. He grinned at her, although his superficial smile didn't reach beyond his mouth. "So… wanna come by my place tonight, too?" Ladybug shook her head at him, flicking his bell. "Silly kitty. I'll see you later." She smiled at him and swung away, leaving him staring after, a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ladybug dropped down onto the deck of Liberty, her shoeless feet making almost no sound as she landed. Luka was in one of the deck chairs, guitar in hand, playing a haunting melody. Using his head, he pointed towards where his miraculous was tucked away inside his guitar case, and he nudged the case towards her with his foot; his fingers never wavering on the fretboard, the same minor chords flowing out of it, out of him.

Reaching down, Ladybug snagged the little black box, and tucked the miraculous into her yo-yo, alongside the fox and turtle miraculous. Luka closed his eyes, letting the song wash over him, over both of them, as she sat in the chair next to him.

The melody floated on, playing out his fear and pain, and was the only sound for so long that Ladybug jolted in surprise when Luka finally spoke. "You know, until today, I thought I was probably the youngest member of the team. I know Queen Bee was younger, but she hasn't been called upon in months, and never really seemed like a major player."

"In this last fight I learned that Rena is one of my little sister's classmates. Alya Cesare. Today, I saw her die."

"Oh, Luka. I am so sorry. " Ladybug reached out to hold his hand, giving comfort for a heartache that happened in a timeline that no longer existed.

Surprisingly, Luka lashed out in anger. "How could you do that? She's just a child. Chloe Bourgeois, too. How could you give them this responsibility? You know how tough this job is." He shook his head. "I thought _I_ was too young for this."

Tears stung both of their eyes, but Ladybug raised her bright blue eyes to his stormy ones. "Luka, other than the guardian, I believe you are our _oldest_ miraculous holder. I received my earrings when I was 13. I never really thought about giving miraculous to adults, since it was adults that got us into this situation. Although it isn't really about age, but about the age of your soul, and the kindness in your heart."

Luka looked at her in shock. He was older than all the other wielders, including Ladybug? Well she was certainly wise beyond her years.

She smiled up at him. " Did you want to talk about what happened today?"

He sighed and nodded. "When we left the rooftops, we headed together into an alley. You called for your Lucky Charm, and got the dartboard. You and Rena were on the same page, and she conjured a carnival midway, with your dartboard as the game with the Miraculous prize. Geekzilla walked straight down the midway heading towards your booth, but as he passed where Rena stood, completely camouflaged by her Mirage to my eyes, he turned and shot a volley of pencils at her. She screamed and fell, the illusion disappearing as she hit the ground. As Carapace reached her side, she let out this horrible gurgling sound, and her transformation dropped completely. I'm pretty sure she was dead, but I used Second Chance to start over before I could confirm anything."

"Neither you, nor Carapace seemed shocked by the fact that Rena was Alya. I'm assuming you knew because you gave her the Miraculous." Ladybug nodded her assent. "And from the way he reacted, and the way they are together, Carapace is Nino Lahiffe. Don't feel that you need to confirm that." Viperion added the last part hurriedly.

"Alya and Nino knew each other's identity. I had to give them their miraculous together on Heroes Day last year. I'm pretty sure if we'd stayed in that timeline, everyone would have known. I've been debating telling Chat for a while now, just to make it easier when I need to deliver or collect the miraculous. The only hero whose identity I don't know is Chat."

Ladybug sighed. "The miraculous, or maybe just the guardian, have very strict rules. If anyone ever discovered Chat or my identities, we would have to give up our miraculous." She huffed out a breath. "Sometimes it's just a lot."

Shaking her head as if to settle all her thoughts back into place, Ladybug apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be complaining. I'm here to listen to you."

Luka's ocean blue eyes watched her thoughtfully. "Ladybug, it sounds as if you need someone you can talk to as well. I know you can't always tell me everything, but I can always listen to you vent."

Standing, Ladybug stepped over his open guitar case, and surprised Luka with a quick hug. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." She patted her yo-yo. "I have to return these, but we will talk again soon. And, Luka? I mean it. Thank you."

In a few quick steps, and a snap of her yo-yo, Ladybug had left the Liberty and was swiftly disappearing from sight into the Paris sky.


	4. Do you want to fight a snowman?

_I don't own Miraculous Ladybug. Or Frozen. But I can belt out "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" in my car with the best of them. And, no, I totally don't get weird looks from other drivers. Why do you ask?_

_In this chapter, Chat Noir snaps... and goes on a date?_

* * *

It had become their habit. Ladybug would look at Viperion and know it had been a particularly hard reset. She would ask "Tonight?" and he would respond with a nod, and they would go back to planning, with Viperion having a bigger role in deciding what they should do, having lived it all before. If the others thought anything of it, they didn't mention it… until the day Chat Noir snapped.

There were three of them, standing on the rooftop: Chat, Ladybug and Viperion. Ladybug had been going through her plan, when Viperion shook his head. He'd been playing a soft song on his lyre, calming his racing heartbeat. Ladybug offered up a 'later?' and he'd nodded, eyes half closed, watching the ghosts of an abandoned timeline dance across his eyelids. Chat was just distracted enough that his jealousy came bubbling to the forefront.

"You tell me my timing is bad when I make jokes during battle, but you two can plan _dates?_" His voice came out almost as a hiss.

Viperion was about to respond when Ladybug placed a hand on his forearm to quiet him, eyes never leaving her partner. "Later, Chat." He glared at her, but dropped the subject, proving just how much he had matured in the year and a half since he'd received his ring. Despite their chemistry being off during the ensuing battle, they were able to defeat the akuma without needing Second Chance again.

After the fight, instead of going their separate ways, Ladybug lightly placed a hand on both boys' wrists to prevent them from disappearing. "Viperion, would you be alright with Chat Noir joining us? It might help both of you, plus, I think he should know. He could fill in if I had a commitment and couldn't make it, or it was something you were not comfortable sharing with me." A look of surprise and confusion crossed Chat's face at that statement. "You would have to stay transformed, and I'll take your miraculous back afterwards."

Viperion hesitated only a moment before nodding. "That's alright, but I would rather not go to the normal place. Can we meet on a roof somewhere. We all need to recharge first."

Ladybug nodded and gave an address for one of her and Chat's usual meeting spots. Once they agreed to meet up in fifteen minutes, they all went their separate ways to feed their kwamis.

When they were all back together, sprawled out on the roof, Ladybug turned to Chat. "You know how we see way more of the horrific side of the akuma battle that most people do? More than we probably should? Because of Second Chance, Viperion sees the worst case scenarios for everything." Remembering his time as Aspik, Chat shuddered, and Ladybug continued. "We just get together afterwards to talk about it and share the burden. We are a team. When one of us needs help, or is struggling, we should be there to help each other out."

"When I was low on confidence, back when we were first starting out, I tried to give the earrings away. It was you, Chat, believing in me, even then... when I had majorly screwed up... that gave me the confidence to continue. We all have low points. We need to be there for each other."

Chat nodded. "I agree, Milady. I'm sorry. And my apologies to you, too, Viperion. I misread the situation, and let my jealousy get the better of me."

"Don't worry about it, Chat Noir. Ladybug was respecting my privacy, and tried to keep it as between us as was possible. I have no problem with people knowing, but at the same time, it is nothing I want to advertise." Viperion smiled at Chat, then his smile turned sheepish. "As far as the other part… well, there's a girl in my regular life that I'm interested in. She's amazing. Uh, not that Ladybug isn't wonderful, but…" He trailed off and shrugged, looking at Chat. Neither boy noticing Ladybug shifting uncomfortably.

Clearing her throat in an attempt to change the subject, Ladybug asked, "So, Viperion, what happened today?"

"Today wasn't as bad as some days." Viperion said, shrugging. "It just took eight tries to get things right. Your Lucky Charm changed every time. I've never seen that before. I have to say my favorite was the extendable boxing glove." Viperion chuckled at that memory. "Although Roi Singh got involved, so you ended up punching Chat, and he ended up encased in snow."

"I do NOT want to build a snowman." Chat huffed, before grinning. The akuma had looked like Frozen's ice queen, Elsa, and had the powers to match. She'd been turning people into adorable, frolicking snowmen, but when too many snowmen were in one area, they were drawn together to become a giant, raging snow monster.

Once they had determined that the Akuma was in her glove, Ladybug had called for her Lucky Charm. Or, according to Viperion, a series of lucky charms. The one that had finally worked was a can of fake snow that they had used to spray over the storefronts in the area, attracting and distracting the akuma long enough for Chat to Cataclysm her glove.

"It was the changing Lucky Charm that kept throwing me off. I couldn't help you plan, because I hadn't seen what the akuma would do with that particular item. I was useless, all I could do was reset every time something happened." Viperion shook his head. "I hate feeling useless."

Ladybug leveled him with a look that Chat knew well. "I don't want to hear it. You reset time for us SEVEN TIMES. You gave us seven second chances. How is that useless? We would have lost had you not been there. I don't want to hear any more of this negative talk." She softened her words with a hand on his arm.

Viperion sat with his back against the wall, one leg drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his shin, other leg outstretched. His chin rested on his knee, and his gaze seemed to contemplate the shoe on his extended foot.

"You know you are an important member of the team. And that's just it… we are a TEAM. All of us together, no one person is more important than the others. We all have days where we don't feel as important." Chat shot her an incredulous look. "Yeah, even me. I know you do, too, Chaton, so don't even try to deny it. There have been times that I've been unable to transform, or I've allowed personal feelings to get in the way of doing my job. And the number of times I've had to save someone I know from an akuma…" She shudders. "And, yeah. I've also almost been akumatized myself. More than once." At this revelation, both boys turned to stare at her.

She laughed. "I'm in lycee. There's drama. I'm not immune. I just do what I have to. We ALL do what we have to do. That's why supporting each other without making it a big deal is so important."

Viperion shook his head. "Ugh, school. That's a whole other arena. Although none of it seems nearly as bad after what we do here." He waved his hands vaguely, encompassing the rooftops of Paris in his gesture.

Ladybug shrugged. "Not really? I mean, this is my job, and I love being able to help people, but the rest of the time, I'm NOT Ladybug. I'm just me. And 'just me' is not this." She gestured to the red and black suit she wore. "'Just me' is a mess!"

Viperion chuckled softly, thinking how similar his personality was, both in and out of the suit, wondering if Ladybug changed less than she thought she did, but it was Chat who spoke up. "Milady, there is no way you could be a mess. You are probably just as amazing outside of the suit as you are in it. I don't have this kind of freedom outside of the suit, but it doesn't make me any less pawsome! Personally, I think school is wonderful. Sure, there are a couple of people that like to make themselves look good, but they aren't hurting anyone. If you just ignore them, then it won't turn into drama. Or akumas."

Viperion and Ladybug exchanged a look, shaking their heads. "I'd rather stand up for the people that are being bullied and prevent them from being victimized twice; by their bullies and by Hawkmoth. I'd rather fight the akumatized bully than the akumatized victim… although neither would be ideal." Ladybug smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, we have to defeat Hawkmoth for that."

Chat looked completely struck by the idea. "What if it isn't bullying? It's just telling tall tales. That doesn't hurt anyone."

"And the people the tall tales are about? The people counting on the promises made by someone who knows they'll never deliver? Aren't they hurt?" Ladybug shook her head, as if to clear the cobwebs out. "But we're getting way off topic. Sorry Viperion, this is a topic that fires up this little red bug, and this meeting was for you. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Tapping his fingers to a tune that was only he could hear, Viperion smiled at her. "Actually, this makes me feel better about a lot of things. This job is really tough, and it is hard to unsee things even if they are not real in this timeline's past. School, well, it's never been my favorite place, but it's important, you know. It was hard for a while, when my sister and I went to different schools. I couldn't be there for her, and she's not the type to stand up for herself. Her last year in college, she had a girl who did, who stood up to all the bullies, and really helped my sister set boundaries for people." Viperion smiled softly to himself, as he thought about Marinette, the girl who had done so much for so many. "If more people were like that, then there would be less people for Hawkmoth to take advantage of."

Both Chat Noir and Ladybug nodded their agreement. Stretching, the spotted superheroine clambered to her feet, extending a helping hand to first Viperion, then Chat Noir. "I'm glad you joined us today, Kitty. I'm going to take Viperion home, so I can take his Miraculous back to the guardian, then I have to go and collect Roi Singh's as well. Maybe we should plan a team bonding day."

His mind swirling with everything that he had heard that day, he watched Ladybug and Viperion head off past the Eiffel tower with only a small twinge of jealousy gnawing in the pit of his stomach. Whether it was that his love was leaving with another man, however platonic it might be, or that she knew the identities of all their teammates while he was not entrusted with that secret, he was not sure.


	5. Going, Going, Gone

_A highly destructive akuma, that makes anything it hits fade from this world is able to get ahold of one of our heroes. Which one? Well... there is one hero in particular I tend to kill, isn't there. So I figured it was someone else's turn!_

_I'm still hoping for the rights to Miraculous Ladybug as a birthday gift. (Do you hear that Mr. Astruc! There's still time!)_

_Until then, I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. Nor do I own the rights to the fabulous character the akuma is based on. Can anyone guess who it is? (Not the ML universe... another one!) Credit will be given to his creator at the beginning of the next chapter. _

* * *

Arreter was angry. He had been overlooked once again, and he was sick of being ignored. He was a small, slight man who rarely spoke up, but had a quick mind and worked hard. His boss, Pauline, had chosen someone else in the office for a major project, again, and Arreter was done. He stalked the streets, shaggy brown hair and poorly trimmed beard ruffled by the breeze, and a longbow, almost as tall as he was, clenched in his fist. Pulling an arrow from his quiver, he shot at Crawley, the recipient of the project, the arrow struck deep into his chest, and Crawley started fading from view.

Chat Noir and Ladybug were perched on a rooftop, watching the akuma as he flitted between shadows, his mottled grey green cloak keeping him from being easily tracked. Ladybug called for her lucky charm, and received a red and black spotted ouroboros bracelet. Her eyes flicked over to her partner, who nodded. "I'll hold off silent and stalky here, you go get Viperion." Smiling at her partner, Ladybug swung off to collect the miraculous.

She arrived back much faster than Chat expected her, although he should have known, as Arreter was working his way towards the Seine. Most people had taken refuge inside, but there was still the occasional person who peeked out in curiosity, was invariably hit by an arrow, and started to fade.

When he heard his partner, _partners_, he mentally corrected himself, land on the roof behind him, sidling up to him as silently as the akuma was gliding down the street, Chat turned to them, keeping low, and speaking barely above a whisper. "The akuma is in his bow. He has uncanny aim. I've never seen him miss. And it's almost like he doesn't have to look before he fires. He just seems to know where people will appear."

Ladybug nodded. "Let's do this. Cover me?" She glanced at Chat before stepping back and calling for her Lucky Charm. Viperion waited until the rubber ducky landed in her hand before setting the return point for Second Chance. Both boys kept half an eye on Ladybug as she looked around for a way to use the rubber duck. Her eyes lit up as she hit on a plan, but before she could enact it, Chat had stepped out to distract Arreter, who was looking up at the rooftop the three were perched on.

The twirling baton deflected the first two, alarmingly rapid arrows that were shot in his direction, but the third was aimed a little lower, and struck him in the thigh. The suit protected Chat from physical damage, and he didn't start to fade, unfortunately, his magical suit did. Spreading from the spot of the arrow strike, blue jeans appeared, the color running up and down, the shirt remaining black, but a white overshirt appearing, as more of the boy under the cat suit came into view.

In a matter of seconds, the transformation was complete, from the disappearance of the black cat ears in the shaggy blond mane down to black boots being replaced by orange hi-tops. Ladybug let out a strangled, shocked, "Adrien?" before Viperion tackled him to the ground as another arrow whistled overhead. As it was aimed at the newly unmasked Chat Noir, it whistled harmlessly past Ladybug, seconds before she threw herself to the ground next to them.

Viperion looked back and forth between Ladybug and Adrien… the last few pieces clicking in his mind as he let out a deep sigh. "Oh" escaped his lips before he was able to contain it and school his features. Years of practice of keeping a calm facade as not to make his pathalogically shy sister's anxiety worse was the only thing that kept him from reacting in that moment. He reached for his wrist and flicked the snake head back, calling for a Second Chance.

The world flickered back in time, as Ladybug stared at her rubber duck, glancing around to figure it out once more. Viperion pulled them both low to avoid Arreter's arrows, just as Ladybug's eyes lit with understanding. Opening her mouth to share her plan, she was cut off by Viperion. "Good and bad news. The good news is that if the arrow hits your costume, you don't fade. The bad news is that your costume does, so you should probably still treat it like you'll fade if you get hit."

Ladybug's eyes were blown wide as they questioned Viperion as to who's identity had been revealed. He reassured her the best he could without words, seeing the girl beneath the mask as clearly as if she had been the one hit by the arrow. Shaking off her worry, her professionalism took over, and the confident Ladybug reemerged, and she laid out the plan. Chat and Ladybug dropped down to the alley beside the building, silently signaling to Viperion that they were safe. Viperion kept himself hidden, and started up a haunting Irish melody on his lyre, relying on his earpiece to know if they needed a reset.

While Arreter was searching for the source of the melody, Chat snuck ahead of him and tossed the rubber duck across the street. The flash of color caught the akuma's attention and he turned and shot at the lucky charm in one fluid motion. At the first hint of movement from the bow, Ladybug's yo-yo flashed into motion, and snagged the bottom of the bow, yanking it into the ground and off target.

The arrow sailed harmlessly past the lucky charm, and the bottom end of the bow smashed against the ground, cracking it and releasing the dark purple butterfly trapped within. As it fluttered away, grateful to be free, it was caught once again, this time when it emerged it was pure white, and truly free of Hawkmoth's control.

She and Chat both approached the victim, and a few moments later, Viperion appeared over the edge of the roof. After reassurances from the victim that he would be alright, Viperion handed Ladybug the duck he had retrieved on his way over. Gripping it in her right hand, she tossed it into the air with a cry of "Miraculous Ladybug", the yellow ducky exploding into red beetles that spread out throughout the city, resurrecting the fading citizenry. There was little to no structural damage, save those few arrows that had lodged into buildings as they missed the superheroes.

Both Viperion and Ladybug let out a beep, and Viperion turned to Chat Noir. "Can I talk with you?"

Chat smiled in surprised delight, excited that someone had chosen him over Ladybug, but Ladybug's eyes flicked back and forth between Chat and Viperion in concern. A touch on the shoulder from the snake wielder gave her comfort, and she nodded. Viperion said to her softly, "Chat can return my miraculous if that's OK with you. We need to have a long talk."

Face turning concerned once again, Ladybug smiled nervously at him, but nodded as her miraculous shrilled one more time, and she turned, waving to the boys as she headed back to her home.

Both boys watched until she was out of sight. Chat hadn't used Cataclysm, so he had time, but Viperion was close to changing back. Eyeing the cat, Viperion said, "I know you are aware of my identity, would you like to head closer to the river before I change back?"

Chat shook his head, "Ladybug never…" but Viperion cut him off. "You know who I am. We need to talk. Come on." The two of them ran across the rooftops to a sheltered spot overlooking the river just as Viperion's miraculous shrilled its last warning.

The flash of teal light left Luka crouching on the roof, looking up at Chat. He removed the bracelet and handed it over, Sass disappearing into the bracelet until he would reappear in the miracle box, where the Guardian would make sure he was properly fed.

Chat lounges against the low wall of the roof, to all appearances without a worry in the world, but the nervous flick of his tail and the twist of his ears alerted Luka to the fact that he was more nervous than he let on.

Taking a deep breath, Luka sat next to his friend. So… uh, before we had a chance to get very far the first time around… you were hit by one of Arreter's arrows. Your suit was struck, and it disappeared in a matter of seconds. Both Ladybug and I knew your identity. And I know that you knew mine, since you were there when Ladybug gave me the snake miraculous."

He watched Chat's face closely, and spotted the blush of recognition on his face, and the slight droop to his ears gave away that Chat understood, without Luka having to speak his name out loud.

Together, they sat in silence for a while, thinking about what Luka knew. Luka's fingers tapped against his thigh, a flutter of music playing inside his head as he thought about Ladybug's reaction to her partner's identity. The more he thought about it, the more convinced Luka became that Marinette was Ladybug.

Beside him, Chat was lost in his own world, wondering what this meant for him. He would talk with the Guardian when he dropped off the snake miraculous. Chat briefly considered NOT telling the truth, but ultimately knew he couldn't lie. If the result was having to give up his miraculous, for what Viperion saw in an abandoned timeline, he would.

Chat stood and stretched, awkward now that someone recognized the boy under the mask. "I hope you understand, Luka, just how important it is to not tell anyone. I really hate to put you in this position, but you cannot tell anyone what you know."

Nodding, Luka smiled. "Of course, I completely understand. I won't say a word to anyone."

Chat stepped to the edge of the roof, and pulled out his baton. "In that case, I will see you later." He gave Luka a two fingered salute, and prepared to leap off the roof, hesitating only when the older boy called out his name.

"Chat Noir. Before you go, uh, do you mind helping me get off this roof?"

Chat chuckled, and lifted Luka, using his baton to lower both of them to the ground. This time, when Chat waved goodbye, Luka let him go, watching him head into the city, before turning and walking away from his family's houseboat on an errand of his own.


	6. A decision is made

_WARNING: This chapter does contain minor spoilers for the season 3 finale. If you haven't seen it yet, don't continue reading. But seriously, what are you waiting for? (Epcot97, I'm looking at you.)_

_This is the final chapter of this arc. There will be more stories in this series, but this arc is the one that is Viperion (Luka)-centric, and really gets Ladybug (Marinette) thinking about how it would be nice for all of the heroes to be able to have someone who understands the crazy lives they lead. _

_The next arc will be focused on the group as a whole, and how their different powers effect how they're feeling. _

_Yes! Several of you recognized Halt from John Flanagan's _The Ranger's Apprentice_ series as Arreter. Unfortunately, I don't own any of the rights to his works, either, although I do have a signed copy of the _Ruins of Gorlan_, so that's not nothing!_

* * *

Luka slowly wandered through the streets of Paris alternately thinking hard and trying to clear his head. He knew that he needed to talk to Marinette, and tell her that he knew her identity, but he wanted to do it in a way that she didn't freak out. An hour of meandering didn't get him any closer to an answer, but he did find himself across the street from the bakery.

Sighing deeply, Luka knew what he needed to do, to say to Marinette, but he still had no idea how he was going to do it. The minor chords in his belly started up. He refused to think of his nerves as butterflies any longer, not after what Hawkmoth had done to the city. He pushed open the door to the bakery before he could change his mind.

Sabine called out a greeting to him, letting him know that Marinette was decorating petit fours with her father, and if he wanted to, he should just go on back. He loved the easy camaraderie of the Dupain-Cheng household, the welcoming vibe that was so much like his own home, where anyone who needed a space was welcome.

He headed towards the back room, where both the baker and his daughter had their backs to the door, so he just leaned against the jam, watching as they chatted and joked, while focusing on the task at hand.

As Marinette piped the icing out off her bag, her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth, and she frowned in concentration. The similarity of her expression (minus the tongue) to that of Ladybug was so striking, it hit him like a physical blow. If there had been any doubts lingering in his mind, there weren't anymore.

Tom was concentrating, but still managed to crack jokes alongside the eggs. "What do you get when you eat unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sugar, raw eggs, vanilla extract and whole milk?"

When Marinette made a questioning noise, he replied, a huge grin stealing across his face, "A stomach cake!"

Marinette groaned out a "Da-ad!" then whipped around to locate the source of the appreciative chuckle she heard behind her. Her face lit up. "Luka! Come grab a seat. I'm almost done. Am I late? Were we supposed to meet?"

Still chuckling from her dad's joke, Luka shook his head, and perched on a stool at the end of the counter the father-daughter team was working on. "No. I just had to go for a walk and clear my mind after that last akuma attack. People fading away. Pretty scary stuff."

Marinette flinched, but caught herself quickly. Luka was looking for it, so he caught it, but Tom was cheerfully oblivious. "Oh no, son, did you get caught up in the attack?"

Laughing ruefully, Luka answered with the truth. "I've seen more fallout from akumas than I ever wanted to, although any is too much." He looked down at his fingers as they twisted together in his lap. "I've even been one before."

Tom clapped him on the shoulder, leaving a smear of green icing. "Me too son. Defending Marinette here. Not my proudest moment, but I would do it to defend her again in a heartbeat." Luka channelled his sister as he mumbled, "same here."

Turning a delicate shade of pink, Marinette sought to change the subject. "So, Luka, what brings you by the bakery?"

"Oh, I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something. It's fairly important, but if you're busy, I can come back another time."

Mustache practically quivering with excitement, Tom informed him that Marinette was free after she finished the tray she was working on. He grinned at his daughter, only to be met by a flat stare that warned him against any matchmaking plans.

Quickly finishing up the petit fours, Marinette lead Luka up to her room, blushing prettily as her dad called after them to behave. Marinette left her trapdoor open, but Luka went over and closed it. At her look of confusion, he hastily explained. "I need to talk to you about the akuma attack this afternoon, and I'm pretty sure you don't want your parents to overhear."

Mariette paled, but said, "My parents aren't overly worried about akuma attacks, they know the Miraculous Team will take care of it."

"That's not what I'm talking about. I want to talk to you about what I saw."

She paled even further, her freckles standing out starkly on white skin. "Oh? You were close enough to see it?"

Understanding her need to hide her identity, but also becoming frustrated by what he obviously knew, Luka leveled her with a deadpan look. "How else would I have been able to tell you that Arreter's arrows reverted a miraculous wielder back into their civilian form?"

She sighed. "I was hit?"

"No, Chat was."

Marinette gasped. "But how did you know…?"

"I've suspected for a long time."

When she just looked at him with eyebrows raised, he elaborated.

"Probably since the first day I met you."

When her eyebrows completely disappeared into her hair and her expression took on a disbelieving quality, he grinned and continued.

"After you broke us out of the chains, and we were hiding from my mom, you disappeared from the boat. Ladybug appeared around the time we realized you were missing, saying that you had alerted her. I wondered then how you had dived out of the porthole of a swiftly moving boat, swum ashore, and alerted Ladybug in a matter of a few minutes. That would have been amazing, even for you!"

"Oh no!" She dropped her head into her hands. "Do you think anyone else suspects?"

"I doubt it. Nobody else saw how quickly the boat was moving. I've noticed lots of little things, when I thought to look for them, including things that nobody else remember, like what cemented it for me. I saw Ladybug's reaction when she learned Chat Noir's identity. And before you ask, I'm not going to tell you who he is."

"I-I _know_ Chat Noir?"

"I never said you did… I just said I saw your reaction. And no, I'm not going to tell you what your reaction was either. I just came here to tell you that I know who you are. And it just makes you that much more impressive. Please know that I'm always here for you. As Luka or Viperion. You can tell me everything. Or… nothing, if you prefer. You can be yourself with me."

Marinette sighed and started to pace, mumbling to herself, trying to work something out. Luka watched her for a few moments, and then settled himself cross legged on her chaise, closing his eyes, and pulling out a guitar pick to worry between his fingers, as he waited for Marinette to work through whatever she needed to work through. Taking a deep breath, he settled his wrists on his knees, palms up, inhaling and exhaling in a slow and steady rhythm, trying to calm his fraying nerves for whatever came next.

As a child, Luka had always had very strong emotions, and with volatile parents, he never learned how to control them. As he got older, and his hotheadedness got him into trouble more often than it helped, Luka had started researching ways to calm himself when he started getting angry or nervous. Often, he could channel that energy that energy into his music, but sometimes it was best for him to just sit back, and let the everyday sounds wash over him in their own symphony.

It was at times like this, when he felt the strong feelings bleed out into the fabric of the world, and his body calmed, that he was most receptive to the music that hummed in the hearts of those around him. Using music as an outlet for his own emotions helped him think of emotions as melodies, and could evoke those feelings in people, by playing those emotions to them. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, he often let his guitar do the talking for him, which sometimes gave people the impression that he could read 'heartsongs' when he was simply playing the emotions he read coming off of people.

He was jolted out of his meditation, when Marinette stepped very close in front of him, his seated position putting their heads at almost the same height. As soon as Luka opened his eyes, he found Marinette's arms wrapping around his neck in a tight hug. Once he got past the surprise, he brought his arms up around her waist and held her until she took a step back.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Marinette stepped over to a large basket filled with balls of yarn. She tugged the ends of 3 loose strings: a brief tug on the red, two sharp tugs on the black and another on the green. Much to Luka's shock the balls all rolled to the edge of the basket, a red and black spotted ovoid slowly spun its way to the top, like a pedestal rising. When Marinette ran her hand over the top, it opened as if on a hinge, and a larger version of the hexagonal box he was offered whenever Ladybug brought him the Snake Miraculous appeared.

Lifting the box, Marinette set it on her desk and opened it, retrieving a bracelet and holding it out to him. "Luka Couffaine. This is the miraculous of the snake, that gives the power of Second Chance. You will use it for the greater good. If you accept, you will become a permanent miraculous holder for your protection, and the protection of those whose identities you have become aware of."

Luka stared at her in shock, desperately trying to absorb the news, looking at Marinette, her basket of yarn-that-wasn't, and down at the miraculous he was, even now, slipping onto his wrist. "How…"

"Oh. Yeah. In addition to being Ladybug, I am the Guardian of the Miracle Box. After the last battle with Chloe as Queen Wasp, the only way to protect Chat Noir and I's identities was for the old guardian to transfer the guardianship to me. He lost all memories of the Miraculous, and anyone associated with them. He's now being cared for by… an old friend of his."

Reaching out, Marinette covered Luka's calloused hand in her smaller one. "Thank you for accepting this responsibility. Please know that I, too, will always be here for you, both as Marinette and Ladybug. You can tell me everything… or nothing. Please don't be afraid to come to me."

He smiled at her, and dropped his feet to the floor, letting Marinette pull him into a standing position. She hugged him again, burying her face into his chest. He rested his cheek against the top of her head and inhaled deeply, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling slowly and pulling back.

Marinette looked up at him with a question shining in her blue eyes, but then she nodded. "I need to tell Chat that you've been made a permanent member of the team. He deserves to know that. Did you tell him who you are?"

"He knows my identity, yes."

"Alright. I'll see you soon?"

"Anytime. But Marinette?" Luka paused and took a deep breath. "Give Chat Noir a chance."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I think you know. I think the two of you could be happy together." Luka's eyes looked anywhere but directly at Marinette. "Give him a chance."

Marinette looked at Luka, looking a little hurt by his suggestion. "I'll think about it, alright?"

"I just want you to be happy."

Luka was heading out of the bakery when he saw a flash of pink light at the very corner of his vision, and a few moments later he saw a blur of red, heading in the direction of one of the team's favorite rooftop hangouts, yo-yo pressed to her ear. He smiled sadly to himself as he headed back to his family's houseboat, feeling both lighter and heavier at the same time.


End file.
